Red Men Hall (Reading, Pennsylvania)
Red Men Hall | |
 The front of Red Men Hall | |
   | |
| Location | 831–833 Walnut Street Reading, Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°20′21″N 75°55′21″W / 40.33917°N 75.92250°W |
| Built | 1900 |
| Architect | Muhlenberg Brothers |
| Architectural style | American Craftsman, Renaissance Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 00000843[1] |
| Added to NRHP | July 27, 2000 |
The Red Men Hall, later known as Century Hall, is a historic four-story building located in Reading, Pennsylvania.
Red Men
The building originally served as a meeting place for the local lodge or "wigwam" of the Improved Order of Red Men. The Red Men are a fraternal organization which imitate perceived Native American customs.[2] However, this location consisted exclusively of German Americans.[3] The organization had numerous chapters in Pennsylvania beginning in the nineteenth century.[4]
Building
Constructed by the Red Men in 1900, the four-story brick facade building displays American Craftsman style architectural designs with Renaissance Revival elements, and includes decorative tiles by Henry Chapman Mercer. Later, the structure served as a rental hall called Century Hall, capitalizing on the building being built at the turn of the century.[5]
The National Register of Historic Places added the structure in 2000. The building now consists of 15 low-income senior housing units.[6]
See also
- GoggleWorks: Another Reading building designed by the Muhlenberg Brothers
- List of Improved Order of Red Men buildings and structures
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Berks County, Pennsylvania
References
- ^ "NPS Focus". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Retrieved May 8, 2011.
- ^ Deloria, Philip J. (1998). Playing Indian. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. pp. 59–65.
- ^ Lindsay, George W; Conley, Charles C; Litchman, Charles H (1893). Official History of the Improved Order of Red Men. Boston: Fraternity Publishing Company. p. 334. Retrieved May 8, 2011.
- ^ Knobel, Dale T (1984). "To Be An American: Ethnicity, Fraternity and the Improved Order of Red Men". Journal of American Ethnic History.
- National Archives. National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
- ^ "Joint Consolidated Plan FFY2004–FFY2008, Reading FFY2004 Acionn Plan, Berks FFY2004 Action Plan: Citizen's Summary" (PDF). Berks County Redevelopment Authority. 2004. p. 7. Retrieved May 8, 2011.
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